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Head-to-head Updated

Continental IceContact 2 vs Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

WinGuard Sport 2 leads, 71–70 Narrow edge

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Tire AContinental

IceContact 2

Winter

Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 69 · 2 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Tire BNexen

WinGuard Sport 2

Winter

Tests 73 · 9 tests Owners 70 · 61 reviews

Best test result: #4 of 8 in 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 (wet braking)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 69

    Dry

    WinGuard Sport 2 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)7171
    Reviews found online6668
  2. 71

    Wet

    WinGuard Sport 2 +3
    74
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)7073
    Reviews found online7275
  3. 77

    Snow

    IceContact 2 +7
    70
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)7871
    Reviews found online7569
  4. 66

    Comfort

    WinGuard Sport 2 +1
    67
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–65
    Reviews found online6371
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    83
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–97
    Reviews found online–62
  6. 65

    Treadwear

    WinGuard Sport 2 +7
    72
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–74
    Reviews found online6569
  7. 71

    Handling

    IceContact 2 +3
    68
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Reviews found online7168
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental IceContact 2Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Relative Score 70 71
Dry 69 70
Wet 71 74
Snow 77 70
Comfort 66 67
Noise – 83
Treadwear 65 72
Handling 71 68

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

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Recomputed
Headline score

IceContact 2

WinGuard Sport 2

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #5/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 +0.5 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 90% #8/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 78% #8/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 +12.0 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #5/5 2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 #10/10 2025 Autobild Winter Tire Test R18 – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 97% #5/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 96% #7/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 +1.4 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 96% #7/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 +4.0 Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 95% #4/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 92% #8/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 +3.2 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 99% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 90% #4/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 +9.0 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A IceContact 2

Pros

  • Excellent traction on snow and ice-covered surfaces
  • Surprisingly comfortable and quiet ride for a studded tire
  • Reliable handling and stability in severe winter conditions

Cons

  • Increased road noise when driving on dry or clean pavement
  • Noticeable degradation in ice grip performance after two seasons of use
  • Requires precise tire pressure maintenance to ensure optimal wet-weather handling
All owner themes in the IceContact 2 review

Tire B WinGuard Sport 2

Pros

  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Low noise levels and high comfort, often rivaling all-season or summer tires
  • Strong grip and stability on cold dry and wet pavement

Cons

  • Subpar performance on hard-packed ice and deep snow compared to dedicated heavy-duty winter tires
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to slightly vague handling or a 'rolly' feeling in hard cornering
  • Reports of higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor drop in fuel economy
All owner themes in the WinGuard Sport 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental IceContact 2 B · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—80
Rim diameters—15″ – 20″
Tread depth—10.5/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental IceContact 2

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2

Too close to call: Continental IceContact 2 and Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 are within 2 points overall. Continental IceContact 2 is stronger on snow and handling. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 is stronger on treadwear and wet.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental IceContact 2 scores 77 vs 70 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 scores 72 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental IceContact 2 scores 71 vs 68 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 scores 74 vs 71 on wet.

Tire A · Continental IceContact 2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Check price on Amazon

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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

71

Narrow edge

WinGuard Sport 2

Amazon